Russian Revolution

Question 1

Tsarism

Answer 1

Russia before the revolution. i.e ruled by the Tsar

Question 2

February Revolution

Answer 2

end of Tsarism

Question 3

Provisional Government

Answer 3

coalition of liberals and moderate socialists: feb to oct 1917

Question 4

October Revolution 1917

Answer 4

coup d’etat by the Bolshevik party against provisional government

Question 5

Bolshevik party

Answer 5

small marxist party led by Vladimir Lenin (changed to the Russia communist party)

Question 6

Russia in 1900

Answer 6

Autocratic political system
- Nicholas II

Peasant society
-125 million population –> 90% peasants

Question 7

Tsarist Russia as a modernizing country

Answer 7

-growing cities
-developing civil society
-professional groups running services via local government i,e doctors, lawyers etc

Question 8

challenges of modernisation

Answer 8

-poor conditions in new industrial areas

-civil society questioned government’s monopoly of power

-land hunger and peasant unrest

-revolutionary movement (marxists and socialists)

Question 9

February Revolution: key dates: 23th of february

Answer 9

international womens day

strikes and demonstrations in Petrograd; grew in strength in following days

Question 10

February Revolution: key dates: 27 february

Answer 10

the day of revolution

Petrograd garrison mutinied

petrograd soviet formed

provisional committee of the Duma formed

Question 11

February Revolution: key dates: 2nd of march

Answer 11

Nicholas II abdicates

provisional government formed

Question 12

February Revolution: points to note

Answer 12

not an anti war revolution

abdication intended to prevent revolution

Nicholas II in abdicating did not think he was ending Romanov rule

very limited involvement of revolutionary parties

opened doors for radicals

Question 13

provisional government was weak because..

Answer 13

-dual power (liberals and socialists) –> reflected influence of Petrograd soviet of provisional government

-rural unrest

-committed to Allies in WW1 (army desertion grew)

centrifugalism

Question 14

Lenin’s “April Theses” - key points

Answer 14

• Bolsheviks will not support provisional government

Russia revolution will soon enter a second phase

all power should be transferred to soviets

Question 15

The “April Theses” helped Bolsheviks gain more support in 1917 as:

Answer 15

• other socialists parties supported the provisional government

-the “April Theses” contained policies that would become increasingly popular

Question 16

Bolsheviks seize power

Answer 16

25 September: Bolsheviks control Petrograd Soviet (Trotsky becomes chair)

25 October: Bolshiveks seize power from provisional government in name of congress of soviets (meeting at that time)

Question 17

Declaration of the Rights of working and exploited people (Jan 1918)

Answer 17

Fundamental task of new regime was:

“…destruction of any exploitation of man to man, the complete abolition of the division of society into classes…”

Declaration confirmed:

-abolition of private land ownership
-workers supervision of industry and transport
-nationalization of banks
-universal labour duty
-formation of Red army

Question 18

Problems faced by Bolshevik government

Answer 18

-food shortages
- collapse of industrial production
-de-urbanisation
-civil war
-attempts on Lenin’s life

the way the Bolsheviks responded to these challenges helped to shape the soviet system - crisis management blended with political ideology

Question 19

problem responses: monopoly of power, centralisation, and coercion

Answer 19

“dictatorship of the Proletariat” during the transitional period

“stupid and absurbly distopion to assume that the transition from capitalism to socialism is possible without coercion and without dictatorship” (Lenin 1918)

-power gradually re-centralised (soviets, factory committees, workers militias lost influence) communist party became main area of power

Question 20

the red terror 1918

Answer 20

a Bolshevik-led campaign of intimidation, arrests violence and execution unfolded in the second half of 1918 as the new regime struggled to eliminate opposition and threats to its own power

Question 21

problem responses: state planning of economic production and distrubtion

Answer 21

bolsheviks economic planning 1917-21 known as war communism

three main features

1. forced grain requistioning from peasantry
2. state ownership of industry (private trade abolished)
3. compulsory labour

black market still thrived and grain requisitioning created mass unrest in countryside

Question 22

problem responses: mobilization of culutre

Answer 22

bourgeois culture part of system of class domination

necessary to create new proletarian culture

proletarian culture themes:

-centrality of labour
-collectivism instead of individualism
struggle against “backwardness” (supersition)
-campaign for literacy (Lenin)

-impacted religion, education, laws the arts, propaganda, etc

Question 23

with all these measures the bolsheviks laid the foundations of the soviet system

Answer 23

-centralised one-party system
-economic planning
-cultural transformation